Mayonnaise

Many of us will reach for the jar of Hellmans when we need
mayonnaise in a dish and I am also guilty of doing the same thing.

There are
times though, when I do like to make it from scratch and it makes such a big
difference in flavour.

When I first made mayonnaise I learned to make it by hand,
dropping the oil with a fork into the egg and whisking (yes, really!). I think it was a form of torture in
my first term at Leiths school of food and wine. These days I will use a quick
and dirty way of making it either with a staff blender or food processor.

To make by handPlace the egg yolk, vinegar and Dijon into a bowl
You need to start whisking very quickly while you start to add the oil very
slowly until the mixture starts to thicken
Season with salt and pepper and the lemon juice

To make with hand blender
Place all the ingredients as listed above (except the salt and pepper) in a
tall jug or beaker and allow to stand for 20 minutesEnsure the jug or beaker is just larger than the hand blender head
Place the blender right at the bottom of the mixture and start to blend, once the mixture
starts to thicken, you can then start to move the hand blender to ensure it is
well mixed
Season with salt and pepper
Food processor
Place the egg yolk, vinegar and Dijon into the smallest bowl your food
processor has, start the machine and add the oil very slowly until it starts to
thicken
Season with salt and pepper and the lemon juice

Flavour variations
1 clove garlic finely grated with 10g chopped fresh parsley
Sometimes I use the zest of lemon and 5ml more juice which pairs wonderfully
with salmon
Tarragon goes well with chicken and trout, even with the addition of orange juice
I sometimes like to add a little wholegrain mustard to add a bit of kick
You can also add sweet chilli sauce, lime
or even kimchi (I like to chop it very finely before adding)Chipotles in adobo paste are my favourite when making Mexican style dishes, just 1 heaped teaspoon makes all the difference
Truffle adds that little bit of luxury or you can use a few drops truffle oilCrushed dried porcinis are really nice tooThe sky's the limit once you've mastered the basics!